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What

Why

Why the Volvo Ocean Race needed to create a digital oasis at its Cape Town stopover

The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the sailing calendar’s most important events. When it stopped in Cape Town, enabling seamless connectivity was a top priority. The organisers needed to ensure that the teams, fans, and administrators were able to share their stories with the world.

Technology is changing the way that people work, play, and view the world around them. Nowhere is this more evident than at the Cape Town leg of the world’s most prestigious boating race, the Volvo Ocean Race. The race itself has embraced technology in order to create a compelling experience for the fans. This allows fans to monitor the progress of the teams as they navigate some of the most treacherous waters on their way around the world.

When the race arrived in Cape Town the V&A Waterfront – as the hosts of the race village - needed to supply not just teams and broadcasters with a reliable network, but also the millions of fans who came to join in the racing experience.

How

How sailing’s biggest race connected to the world

With seven teams and millions of fans descending on the V&A Waterfront, it was essential that the Volvo Ocean Race's race village was able to provide a network that supported broadcasters, fans, and teams from an operational and business point-of-view. Providing connectivity to all teams and suppliers from arrival time is critical.

Creating a digital oasis in the heart of Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront came with its own unique set of logistic and technical challenges. Any solution had to be robust enough to support millions of fans whilst the race was in town, while keeping businesses connected. Race organisers and support staff needed the flexibility that would allow them to plug into the network and work from anywhere around the race village.

The race village sponsors created a rich and immersive experience for fans, capturing their imagination through the use of VR headsets, and streamed live info from each yacht. This glimpse into the world of sailing was possible through the uninterrupted connection that a reliable network provided.

What

What a high-speed converged network has helped the V&A Waterfront to achieve

A strong network infrastructure has empowered not just the Volvo Ocean Race, but a multitude of projects at the V&A Waterfront. It has allowed them to take advantage of the benefits of seamless connectivity and deliver the services needed to support environmentally sustainable development.

The converged network platform that the V&A Waterfront used to support the Volvo Ocean Race’s race village has not just allowed the race to reach out to fans across the world,but also enabled the teams to transact seamlessly from their retail operations.

The platform forms an essential part of the Waterfront’s strategy to provide the infrastructure that underpins a sustainable development model. The same platform, linked to IoT sensors, has helped the Waterfront’s new Silo District make significant savings in both water and power usage. Data indicates the sea water cooling plant delivers energy savings of 30% and uses 40% less water than a conventional system.